What does flat footed mean?

[jess_g]

The doctor mentioned this at the appointment yesturday while watching my son run. Can someone tell me what it means? I always thought the shape of his foot was different because its so hard to get a shoe on him but I am not familar with this term.

Thanks,

Jesscia

[brittone2]

How old is your DC? Most toddlers and even preschoolers are flat footed or close to it. In young kids that is quite typical.

Unless there is pronation (rolling inward) to a substantial degree for example, or it is adversely impacting your DC's development in some way, etc. it generally isn't a problem at all (unlike in adults).

eta: with respect to running, it is hard for me to differentiate what your doctor means without seeing your DC. Does your DC's running look less coordinated than peers, etc?

[Fairy]

Hmm. Well, flat-footed means your arch is abnormally non-archy. I have very, very flat feet -- my entire life, which I got from my dad. Neither of us has any semblance of a real arch. And both of us have orthotics. I can't even walk around without some kind of shoe on, it hurts too much wihtout the support. Little ones also look pretty flat footed whether they really have flat feet or not until they get older, so not sure what your doc could have meant by that term. Pronation or the opposite is one thing. Bow-leggedness, too. But flat-footedness? Got me.

[mariadm]

My dd is 12 and before she turned 1 the dr said that she was flat footed, which she got from her dad. I have arches on my feet so I am not - flat footed. Over the years she has have problems with her feet and her back. She has scoliosis(her spine is in an S shape)...she said it doesn't bother her, but her dr was concerned with her back getting archy and recommended good posture for her and also b/c she has bunions on her toes...she recommended surgery, but not until she turns 16 and she's developed. The dr said when she ran her back was crooked - I never noticed anything. She has gone to foot drs and they have put orthotics in her shoes, but they don't seem to help. I guess I should have done it when she was yonger to prevented, but I was young myself - dind't know any better! And, she was also my first! I am not sure if that's what the dr meant by what he/she said, but that's what I was told years ago. Right now, she's doing good with her posture and the bunions seem to be steady - not getting bigger, she doesn't complain about pain anywhere, though.

[jess_g]

Just wanted to add that my son with the flat feet is 9 years old. He has always had problems with his gait and walking since he was a toddler (his feet turn in and he can't seam to hold them straight out) but I was not sure what the doctor ment by this and if it could be a problem we should look into addressing.

Thanks,

Jessica.

[geochick]

My 13yo nephew has flat feet. He got them from my dad. Anyway, it turns out he has an accessory navicular bone (extra bones) in both feet. The pediatric ortho lady recommended he have them removed. He did, and his foot pain is much better.

That doesn't mean every one with flat feet has extra bones, but it might. Keep an eye on it as your ds gets older.

[SammyeGail]

I dated a guy that had flat-feet, but don't remember him having any issues, he was in his early-mid 20's (we dated 5 years)

My DS who will be 4 next month has been wearing ortho inserts-special made $650 ones, lol, since April. (soon getting new pair)They called it flat-footed (occupational therapist) but once we saw the specialist he explained that he had colasped arches, he was able to show me how his ankles pointed down/inward as he walked barefooted, never could tell because DS hated walking barefoot. They are a hard plastic that form an arch for him, to hopefully correct the arch problem over 1.5-2 years.

At 9 yrs old I have no idea, I don't know why your doctor didn't say more. We were going to an appt and there was a mom and girl leaving, the girl was around 8-9, I could tell she was wearing ortho shoes.

IMHO I would call the dr and ask if there is anything you could do. It wouldn't hurt to call, see if you need a referral to a ortho?

Good luck and great job looking after your DS!!

Sam

[WatchingThemGrow]

Hmmm...now you've got me thinking....DS1 is flat-footed per our ped. He does have a funny gait and his feet do seem to point in. Brittone2, come watch him run. Do I need to get him to the ortho??

[sansdieu]

It's important to note that flat-footed really isn't it so much of a diagnosis, as it is a symptom of an underlying problem. Ligaments that are not the right length, the angle at which the bones connect that's not quite right, etc., all could result in flat feet. I do think there's a hereditary component involved -- both my brother and myself have inherited it from my parents.

The degree of severity varies, too, as does your response to it. My feet look mostly normal when they're off the ground, but arches do flatten once I actually put my weight on them. My brothers' have no arches even when they're lifted off the ground entirely (flat as a pancake, seriously). Yet, he tolerates the condition far better than I do. I'm in constant pain when it comes to my feet.

Custom-made orthotics may or may not work (they did not work for me). What works really well are stretches, exercises, even some form of PT. You should really give it a shot, especially if your child is young and still developing. There are a couple of easy stretches that you can do with your son everyday (ask your podiatrist). And, if you happen to live near a sandy beach, walking barefoot on sand does wonders, as it stretches just the right ligaments (and retrains the connected muscles, too). I'm into the whole "walk barefoot" thing now anyway because I've seen orthotics do more damage than good, but obviously, that's something that should be discussed with your doctor.

Last note -- wide toebox is essential, as flat feet often lead to bunions later in life, and you do not want to compress those toes in a tight shoe. It's easier to get in boys' shoes than in those torture contraptions that pass for girls' shoes these days :)

[AshleyAnn]

I have arches on my feet so I am not - flat footed. Over the years she has have problems with her feet and her back. She has scoliosis(her spine is in an S shape)...she said it doesn't bother her, but her dr was concerned with her back getting archy and recommended good posture for her and also b/c she has bunions on her toes...she recommended surgery, but not until she turns 16 and she's developed.

I have sever scoliosis (wore a brace for 4+ years during puberty and will eventually have the surgery) and my feet have very high arches. Flat feet are not proven to be a cause or side effect of scoliosis.

Has your daughter's scoliosis been evaluated by an orthopedic surgeon? If she has scoliosis sever enough to consider surgery there are things that need to be done NOW that can help her put off the surgery and maybe even avoid to completely (provided she does not have a regular 28 day cycle - this is the marker used by doctors to determine if puberty is on going or not).

The surgery is very extreme and will affect her mobility for the remainder of her life - my goal is to put it off until I am done bearing children, if not forever. Once puberty is completed scoliosis changes slow signifianctly, if not stop completely. The main things that affect it are weight gain, pregnancy (rapid weight gain), osteoporosis, or spinal trama. Prepregnancy my spine was virtually the same curvature it was when I was 15 and no longer needed my brace (thats nearly 10 years and about 20 lbs of weight gain). I've gained 12lbs so far and am 33 weeks pregnant and I don't think my spine has been affected but I won't know until after DD is here.

[brittone2]

Hmmm...now you've got me thinking....DS1 is flat-footed per our ped. He does have a funny gait and his feet do seem to point in. Brittone2, come watch him run. Do I need to get him to the ortho??


Most PTs I know don't generally recommend orthotics or treatment in very young children with flat feet provided there aren't other concerns/issues. He's still really young, right...under 2ish? Even the toes pointing in/out in a young child is generally not a problem, but obviously it depends on a variety of other issues. If it isn't really adversely affecting gross motor skills or function, there often is no need to treat it (in the absence of other concerns). Older kids, yes, but again you have to look at the big picture. Posture, pronation/supination, function, etc.

As a PP said, flat feet in and of itself doesn't tell us much. It really depends on the origin of the flatness...but in a very young child, it is very, very typical to have flat feet and *usually* not a problem. Severe pronation, etc. may be, but "flat feet" in general (meaning not much of an arch at all) in a young child is pretty typical.

Some PTs are more likely to recommend orthotics in very young kids, but many do not (again in the absence of other concerns).

Jess_g-it truly is hard to know what exactly your doc is observing since his comments don't really tell us all that much. But based on your additional comments, I think it is worth having him looked at. Did your doc make any recommendations for an ortho consult, orthotics, a podiatrist, etc.?

[WatchingThemGrow]

Ok, thanks for the reassurance Beth. Our ped said he prob wouldn't be doing cross country in hs. He can join their rock climbing team now, though, with the skills he has. Yes, he's still under 2 :)

[brittone2]

Ok, thanks for the reassurance Beth. Our ped said he prob wouldn't be doing cross country in hs. He can join their rock climbing team now, though, with the skills he has. Yes, he's still under 2 :)


In toeing and the flatfootedness often self-correct in really young kids over time, so maybe he will be a cross country runner anyway ;)

I can take a look sometime but usually it isn't anything to worry much about in a very young child (in the absence of other concerns).

[brittone2]

It is hard to link to studies/abstracts on here sometimes since many sites require a log in etc.

Here's one abstract that you can access without a login that discusses prevalence of flat footedness in preschoolers (FWIW it is even more common in toddlers)

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/118/2/634

[mommylamb]

I'm flat footed, but I've never had any serious problems like soliosis or even problems that require orthodics. I think it just depends on the extent to which you are flat footed and if you have other foot problems. My feet have a slight arch when held up, but the minute I put weight on them (stand up) the arch is gone. For me it's no big deal, though of course I'd love to have prettier feet. My mother has flat feet too, but she has other problems that have made her feet awful, like hammertoes and bunions. I never had those, so I feel like I came away pretty unscathed.

DS seems fine so far. DH has very high arches.

[SammyeGail]

I wanted to apologize if I concerned anyone, I just wanted to give the other side of the spectrum so to speak. Just to say it doesn't hurt to ask the doctor, kwim? I thought about it later trying to go to sleep that I should have added that the girl I saw that was 8-9 might have been in ortho shoes since she started walking, I had only saw them while we were going/leaving appts.

My DS has been going to OT for autism and she noticed the way he walked, she likes to do OT without shoes, I am thankful she noticed it. His colasped arches are not related to his autism that's been reconized. The ortho said his are severe enough that if not treated he would be 'walking on his ankles' by the age of 20 with arthritis, severe arthritis and maybe in a wheelchair by 30. The first ortho I saw in March mumbled something about his tendons, as soon as I could get him into see the ortho who specialized in children he is the one who explained it better, but that was months ago, its hard to remember and explain it well, so I do apologize and believe my DS' is severe and rare. DS will actually look for and try putting his shoes back on a while after bathtime, I think its uncomfortable for him to walk barefoot, it looks that way, do wish we had a beach nearby! DS didn't walk till 18 months and learned in very different way, it was just different.

Like I mentioned I dated a guy with Dx'd flat feet for 5 years and he had no problems, I just remember because he was relieved he could never be 'drafted' into any of the militaries because of it, thats what he said anyway. He was a jerk, lol.

DH and I are opposite, we both have very high arches and have to have shoes with really good arch support, I finally got him to get his first pair of Keens about 2 weeks ago and he's worn them every day :tongue5:.

So I again apologize if I caused anyone concern. I do think DS is rare and does need orthos. He has a very high tolerance for pain and doesn't express to us sometimes when he is hurting. I scanned the study, maybe my DS falls in the 10% that does need them, maybe not, but I personally think so. My FIL had flat feet and problems when he was younger, he actually was held back in High School for failing physical education but spent time in the military and became a lawyer :).

Again, sorry!

Samantha